Dust-pan.



PATENTED AUG. 30, 1904.

S. A. ALBERTSOTAL DUST PAN.

APPLIUATION FILED 00T.13, 1903 NO MODEL.

wiiges se v v eAlIm-gcys UNTTED STATES Patented August 30, 1904.

SARAH AUGUSTA ALBERTSON, OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE.

DUST-PAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 768,871, dated August 30, 1904.

Application filed October 13, 1903. Serial No. 176,903. (No model.)

To mZZ whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, SARAH AUGUSTA ALBERT- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Knoxville, in the county of Knox and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Dust-Pan, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to dust-pans employed for domestic purposes; and it has for its object to provide a device of this class which shall possess superior advantages in point of simplicity, durability, and general efficiency.

\Vith these and other ends in view, which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of embodiment of the invention, it being understood, however, that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that the right is reserved to any changes, alterations, and modifications which come fairly within the scope of the invention and which may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the eftioiency of the same.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved dust-pan. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail taken on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated by similar numerals of reference.

The body of the dust-pan may be of any desired size or capacity, and it is formed with vertical side walls 10 11 and a rear wall 12, the side walls converging rearwardly to the rear wall, as shown.

The bottom of the body of the pan may be described as being composed of two separate portions-namely, a front portion 13, which is inclined downwardly and forwardly from the upper edge of an intermediately-disposed step or transverse offset 14:, and a rear portion 14, which is inclined downwardly and rearwardly from the lower edge of said step or transverse ofi'set and which terminates approximately in be retained. The rear edge of the rear or sunken portion 14: of the bottom of the pan is bent downwardly to form a lip 16, and at the sides of the aperture 15 are provided vertical guideways 17 18, which are disposed exteriorly upon the rear edges of the side walls of the pan, said guideways being open at their lower ends, as shown, and adapted for the accommodation of a movable closure or slide 19, the lower edge of which when closed engages the lip '16, cooperating with said lip, so as to form a dust-proof joint.

Upon one side of the back wall 12 is secured a socket 21 for the reception of the handle 20, provided at its upper end with a eye or finger piece 22, whereby it may be conveniently manipulated.

The slide or closure 19 is provided near its lower edge with a lug 20, which when the slide is moved to its downward limit for the purpose of closing the aperture 15 will rest upon the bottom portion 1 1, as shown in Fig. 1. When the operating-rod 21 is pulled in an upward direction for the purpose of raising the slide 19 to uncover the aperture 15, the upward movement of said slide will be arrested by the lug 20 engaging the lower end'of the handle 20 and socket 21*, which projects in the path of said lug, as will be readily seen by reference to Fig. 2.

This improved dust-pan, as will be seen from the foregoing description, is extremely simple in construction and may be manufactured at a very moderate expense. The operation thereof is likewise simple and readily understood. By simply placing the pan upon the floor and steadying it by means of the handle 20 a dust heap may be readily swept over the inclined front bottom portion 13, dropping over the transverse step 14 and onto the sunken rear portion 14 of the bottom, where a considerable quantity of sweepings may be readily accumulated without danger of spilling the same. In order to discharge the contents of the dust-pan, it is only necessary to withdraw the slide 19 by means of the handle or red 21 until the lug 20 abuts against the lower end of the handle and handle socket, when the contents may be readily dumped out into some suitable receptacle through the aperture 15. The slide or closure 19 is then restored to its normal position, the lug 20 preventing its being moved downwardly too far by abutting upon the bottom portion 1a, said lug being so disposed that the extreme lower edge of the slide will abut upon the rear portion of the lip 16, thus forming, as hereinbefore described, a perfectly dust-proof joint. It is obvious that the lug 20 is important in limiting the upward as well as the downward movement of the slide or closure 19. The importance will also be readily understood of the guides 17 18 being open at their lower ends, for the simple reason that accumulations of dust or obstructive matter therein is absolutely prevented, the downward movement of the slide or closure tending to expel any obstructions that may enter into said guides.

In devices where guides are placed interiorly upon the walls of a dust-pan and a slide is mounted to move in such guides the accumulation of dust in the lower ends of the latter tends to prevent the complete closure of the slide and is a source of perpetual annoyance, which by the present invention is entirely overcome.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is In a dust-pan, a receptacle having sides, a rear wall connecting said sides at their top portions, but of less width than the height of the same, whereby an aperture is left in the rear of the pan at the bottom, a bottom provided with a narrow downwardly-extending lip in alinement with said aperture, vertical guideways carried upon the outer rear edges of said sides, a slide movable in said guideways to cover and uncover said aperture, said guideways having open lower ends, whereby dust is prevented from collecting in the same, and the slide, when closed, is disposed in contact with the downturned lip of the bottom throughout its entire width.

Witnesses:

WASHINGTON BORIGHT, MARTHA R. HENDERSON. 

